client coordinator

route driver

forklift operator

buyer

customer service representative

Ernest

Ernest Packaging Solutions has a pretty decent work culture with very friendly staff, but are geared towards burning and churning sales reps. Here is my take/breakdown. 

Pros: 
-Decent Pay: not bad starting salaries with a potential kicker for exemplary performance.
-Car allowance: decent money added to your monthly pay for wear and tear on your car.
-Company Culture: Most people working there are very friendly. 
-Training: Decent training periods for new salespeople

Cons:
-Turnover Rate - Turnover rate for the company for salespeople in Los Angeles by my estimates is 95% or higher for people coming into the program. Inside turnover seems to be much lower. 
-Competition for sales roles: Your highest competitor at the company will be your own fellow employees. They do not track territories at all, they let you choose where you work, and have no way to track which customers are already buying from the company. There is supposedly a plan in place to change that (but wont hit for a year or now or later).
-Disorganized: You'll have to send out multiple emails as a sales rep to get simple things done, and you are expected to follow up on your own things if the inside people fail to keep track of the emails or calls they get. 
-Unprepared for changes at higher up levels trickle down: Part number changes, constant price changes, etc. all have to be dealt with on the fly and personally dealt with for every account. 
-"Hands off approach" is not very hands off in comparison to other sales jobs. Expect a call every morning with metrics on your performance (along with your peers knowing exactly how well or poor you are doing performance wise). Expect riding with a manger at least once a week whether you want to or not. THESE RIDES ARE STILL BENEFICIAL, just don't expect a truly hands off approach.

All over social media they brag that culture matters. The truth is if you are Sales, Operations Manager,  General Manager the culture is great. As you see on social media many golf outings, out of town meetings, fooball/baseball games, a lot of drinking and comradarie. It's all about the sales, sales are allowed to walk over people. While they're out golfing you are getting their orders out. Operations/General Managers ride you to make sure they hit bonus, meanwhile no bonus for lower level managers or employees. If your warehouse/ driver your time is meaningless, get orders out, regardless of hours, impossible demands from sales. They do hold morale functions for office/ warehouse but job still need to be done so it makes the day more stressful. For warehouse be prepared to be talked down to, treated as though everyone in building is your superior. You never really feel appreciated. They sell you on culture, which is horrible depending job, and low ball you in pay. They are a sales centric company with horrible supply chain procedures and little resource directed to supply chain. They ride your back to make up for poor procedures. 

As explained this position is a high multi tasking position and very busy really wasnt all that busy just a very detail oriented order entry. I get inn to training and my supervisor was way to busy to train, asking questions was taking out of her time and was clearly expressed as frustrating. I noticed a time stamp on an email being sent and said wow your here that late and was told to keep it down and not let anyone know. Going forward, questions being asked i would get condescending comments and unprofessional communication. In my training response's were " why are you doing that?" instead of constructive phrases like " going forward let make sure..." Lots of "why are you doing that? when i was on week 3 of training..
The training is very unorganized, trying to learn there order entry and then in another breathe we would be going over another process alot of process being thrown at you with 0 time to process one. The Supervisor is rude and not a organic human, fake smiles and laughs after saying something rude. I reached out to upper management for guidance on how to deal with with my training because this women's personality flaws were making it difficult and i got fired with no explanation.

Started off as a purchasing expeditor. Assisted purchasing staff with the small purchases thru vendors, obtaining POD's, filing of all purchase orders, updated inventory in Great Plains system. When the receptionist had to retire management asked me to step in and fill in the position until they could find someone. That required answering the telephones, distributing sales reports and greeting customers on top of my purchasing duties. My final position with this employer was AR and AP. Again, one of the employees in that department left the company and I was asked to fill in permanently. Those duties included, working with inventory department and shipping receiving department. Call on past due customer accounts and make sure all our vendors were paid in timely manner in our location. Assist corporate office with all accounting responsibilities in this location.

Ernest Packaging Solutions is an outstanding place to work, offering a great balance between productivity and employee well-being. The company fosters a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere, making it easy for everyone to feel like part of the team from day one. The management is approachable and genuinely values its employees, creating a positive work environment where collaboration and innovation are encouraged. One of the standout features of Ernest Packaging is the work-life balance they promote, with great working hours that allow employees to maintain personal time without compromising on productivity. The company invests in both the professional growth and happiness of its workforce, ensuring employees feel motivated and supported. With a focus on efficiency, teamwork, and a strong sense of community, Ernest Packaging Solutions is a fantastic workplace for anyone looking to thrive in a dynamic, supportive setting.

I enjoyed my time with the people I worked with and for. Great team of people working there. Very mixed bag as a place to work

Somewhat high turnover rate in Portland, which seems to be due to pretty intense micromanagement. Management is great in regards to cheerleading and providing some of the tools you need, but some ultimately come across as seemingly more concerned with their bonuses ultimately. The micromanagement unfortunately pushes a lot of good people out the door. 

Pros: Good PTO program. 10 paid holidays a year plus 2 weeks of vacation your first year. Lots of team building activities. 

Cons: horrible benefits, bad retirement plan, low salaries for the market, work a ton of hours for said low wages, micromanagement by day to day operations management, and high turnover.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The company wants to be great, they don't have the right leadership in place to make that happen though. There are no best parts of working there.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The leadership team doesn't provide honest feedback even when asked. They spend a lot of time talking about people amongst themselves.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Culture is not great. Most employees felt underpaid. They claim they want to be good with change but refuse to allow any opportunities to allow change (hybrid schedules, remote work, changes to policies for the betterment of employees). 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Enter orders that clients have requested be delivered, make sure merchandising gets the product ordered, work with warehouse team to ensure smooth deliveries.

Ernest does not live up to what they present as an employer after they hire you. A typical work day is 7am-6:30 pm in the field and 2-3 hours of additional work when you are home, no work-life balance. 

Managers do not have proper knowledge about their products or the sales process. They sell sales candidates on being relaxed and that they do not micromanage their sales staff. Management is negative and micromanages the sales staff. 

The sales department has high turn over and creates a sad and stressful work environment. I do not recommend working here if you are looking for job security.

A typical day consists of coming into the office, getting your paperwork in order. Pretrip your tractor and trailer and head out. Usually 4-5 sometimes 6 stops. No two days are the same which keeps things interesting. Management is approachable, and friendly. You will be a better driver working here. Some of our customers have docks in tight spaces, it's lots of city driving. Work and life balance is pretty good. Monday through Friday. If you come back before your 8 hours is up, you'll hop on a forklift and pick orders for the next day. Easy money!

This company is awful! They do not train you, manager is a joke. Shes always on a witch hunt, they ding you for things you weren't trained on. Coworkers in department rarely want to help, because they don't want to get in trouble if you get it wrong. Sales manager( CRM)  omg where do I start; they are babies, some are idiots. If you like to be in a department where the blame is always put on you, then this job is for you. I would run far away from this place. Apply to another company, benefits suck here too.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Client coordinator 11 salaries reported	$23.64 per hour
Route driver 16 salaries reported	$29.06 per hour
Forklift operator 9 salaries reported	$21.50 per hour
Buyer 11 salaries reported	$70,045 per year
Customer service representative 5 salaries reported	$23.40 per hour

Working at Ernest: Company Overview and Reviews

Ernest

Ernest Ratings

Popular jobs at Ernest

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected